Language Ownership: An in-depth survey of English majors at a Public University in Karachi at the Tertiary Level
Fouzia Malik
MS Alumni,NED University of Engineering & Technology, Karachi
Hina Manzoor
Assistant Professor, Department of English Linguistics and Allied Studies, NED University of Engineering & Technology, Karachi
Hera Shabbir
PhD Scholar, Department of Urdu, University of Karachi
Abstract
Though English has had a post-colonial impact in Pakistan since its independence time. However, 49% of the overall Pakistani population acquired the English language as a second language. Controversial debates were held about the ownership of the English language but majorly, ownership of the English language has been claimed by native speakers because of their insider knowledge and special control of their language. This qualitative survey research at a public university in Karachi aims to investigate ownership among undergraduate and graduate English majors. 154 undergraduate and graduate students participated in a qualitative study using Google Surveys to respond to open-ended questions and a structured interview technique. On the collected qualitative data, thematic analysis was performed, and codes were created to provide the primary themes. As a result of data analysis, Micro and macro levels of ownership were revealed in the findings, and a standard variety of English language was identified. The earners denied to consider themselves as the legitimate owners of the English language. The study concludes with the implications of this research for the English major teachers of the university to understand the ownership at macro and micro levels and design strategies to develop or assess learners’ personalities.
Keywords: Ownership, Micro and Macro Ownership, Ownership as Indigenization, Ownership as Legitimacy, Affiliation, Expertise, and Inheritance in Ownership.
